DogLover

Was he ever part of the singing group, The Victors?

For some reason, I was thinking that the premier was before VPW died. I was in residence at Gunnison in the spring of 1985, which was a horrible experience, and those that wanted to go were allowed to go straight to Ohio for the weekend, see it, then come straight back. As much as I would have liked to escape the gulag for a couple days, I did not think it was worth the effort. Earlier that block, in February I believe (LCM watched the Grammys with us), when LCM came to visit Gunnison, all he seemed to talk about was the costuming for the different categories he had determined of devil spirits. I found it extremely weird, and still do. I saw AOS once at the Rock of Ages 1985. It was a waste. I could not believe they made a coloring book of it for kids of the ministry to be exposed to it ...

When I was in the Corps, one of the Corps Coordinators told us a story "for our learning" about how he had once announced at some meeting that the Trustees (they were called that then) were on their annual fishing trip. He was reproved by one of his higher ups with the admonition that he should refer to it as "their annual meeting" with the explanation "we have to protect our Trustees." During that same year, I was told that I should not ever say that Vince was "olaying cards with the Trustees" ... because they were gambling, playing poker during business hours one Friday afternoon. We were taught to cover up anything that put TWI in a bad light.

Skyrider: Just curious ... what 24 Corps have been blacklisted? I only heard about the Moneyhands that I recall.

I really liked the early ROAs ... 1972 was my favorite, as it was my first. By the time the later ROA rolled around, I did not particularly like it. One of them, I left in mid-week (not in the Corps yet then, so I had only been there a few days). It was hot, humid, and nasty. I left, drove to just the other side of Dayton, and slept overnight in a WONDERFUL air-conditioned motel room, munching on some of the food and drink I had brought for the Rock. I decided then I would never camp in a tent again, and I didn't. The last year of the Rock, I was staying in a motel with a friend and her kids. I had left the Corps about ten years before that, so we went whenever we wanted (usually in the afternoon) and it was very nice....UNTIL Craig decided it was going to be a Rock of Ages CLASS. He had no class. We still came and went as we wanted, but I knew then I would never go to a Rock again. I was very relieved when he announced later that fall that the Rock was no more. Sad, because in my younger years, I loved it. By then, I was forty and despised it.

I talked with someone still in TWI for several hours this past Saturday evening. She is in support of these dissenters. She sent me all the letters that have been posted here and answered any questions I had. I remember her saying that, Rico had told the group that God gave him audible revelation to go into Rosalie's office and tell her she was to resign from her place on the Board of Directors. Clearly, that did not go well, as he was escorted off grounds by security. So that is a little more detail on his leaving.

Too much money and power is at stake for the trustees/directors to step down. Actually, for the Way, the fewer followers there are, the more money can be spent by the Directors ... in a 501(c)3 corporation, as long as there is ANY provable effort that they are following through with their mission (not necessarily large numbers), the Directors will have access to that $58 million plus that was amassed by good-hearted believers giving during the heyday of the Way. I have read all those letters, but there is no way that, short of divine intervention (not likely), that they will be successful. Many of those folks now have alternate sources of income, so they can afford to speak up now. Lots of dirty hands on that list of signers of the letters...people that were involved in tossing out others who spoke up against those very things years ago. TWI can be compared to North Korea in that it is a very closed society. For the USA to ever get rid of Kim Jong Un will require his death, his assassination, or some wild bombing. I am assuming that this group would not resort to the last two to get rid of Rosalie, but I am willing to bet that the only way she will take her hand off the helm of control is at the time of her death. Even then, she has put a "yes ma'am" man into the presidency. Their efforts are indeed like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Thanks for the information .. glad for them.

I have a question. When I was in TWI from 1972-January 1, 1996, I had not heard of Rico Magnelli. I do recognize the name as someone I have read about on this forum. What position(s) did he hold in TWI? I seem to remember it was rather high up. Very happy for him and his family than they left that cesspool, if indeed they did.

TWI taught that believers receive only rewards at the bema. However, a part of Scripture they conveniently forget is where we all stand before the judgment seat of God. No hell-fire, our incorruptible seed guarantees that ... BUT I do know enough about God and His Word to know that there will be eternal justice for all the things they have done during this life that were done in secret. Nothing is secret from God ... they will pay when the time comes .. at the hand of God, not man. That is a comfort to me concerning not just TWI leadership, but others who have done wrong with no remorse.

I agree with Twinky. Church in the home seemed to be God's idea in Acts and the Pauline Epistles. The Way may have misused and abused the concept, but I do not think the church in the home was the problem .... but rather the leaders and wanna-bes who attended the churches in the home. Churches in the home are common and a blessing throughout much of the free ... and restricted....nations of the world.

One slight addition to DWBH's post ... when RFR came to her very first coffeehouse at ECU in Greenville, NC, I happened to be there for some sort of weekend event, and I remember meeting her and another one of her students, Ricky Canady, who had witnessed to her along with Jeff and Stephen. He showed up at one other event in those early years and then disappeared from Way-dar. It sticks out in my mind because at that time there were basically college students and a some high school students in the Way of NC, so the adults starting to come from New Bern were quite the novelty.

Grace, the reason they attract so much attention is that for many years, they were the Family Corps Coordinators at the Indiana Campus. Before and after that, they were Limb and/or Region Coordinators on the field, so they had contact with many, many people in TWI over the yearsl Lots of time and locations to affect lots of people's lives negatively ... and they did!

The Moneyhands are retired from TWI and living in Toledo to be near their son and his family. They have other retirement money than that which TWI offered...some they paid for over the years, just like a regular couple would do. I cannot say more than that, lest I betray a good friend's confidences, as he is the one that sold it to them many years ago. It is NOT money that Dottie's family gave them.

I read online on Facebook that Jean-Yves de Lisle, former Canadian and now American citizen, is RFR's replacement.

WG..."the spirit within you would die." Hmm...seems like these supposed Bible-believing folks in TWI have forgotten that pesky little phrase about "incorruptible seed."

New Knoxville does have a K-12 school on its main street ... State Road 29.

There is an interesting new TV show starring Michael Weatherly (formerly of NCIS) called "Bull" that premiers in the US this fall. It is supposedly based on the early career of Dr. Phil (not a personal favorite of mine). The fictional Dr. Bull is supposedly able to "read the jury" in certain cases by looking at body language, etc. Should be interesting. When I mentioned not being able to read minds, I specifically meant that NO so-called "heavy" in TWI (especially in the Craig years, when "super spirituality" was common on local and state wanna-bes tried to prove their mettle) ... were able to read minds. In my day-to-day life over the years, I have never had a problem with an "average bear" human being thinking he/she could read my mind. There is a place in Scripture I remember where it says, "Jesus, knowing their thoughts..." which was, of course, by God telling him. I'm sure wanna-bes from the Way might have used that as an excuse to say they knew someone's thoughts. They were not Jesus Christ....but like Yogi, they thought themselves "smarter than the average bear." (if you are too young to remember Yogi Bear cartoons, my apologies for an obscure reference...)

Hmmm...If people could read minds, I would have been thrown out of TWI long before I left on my own on January 11, 1996 (slow learner in that regard). Even before I ever was a part of der Way at age 16, my mother and father taught me your mind could not be read...nor could you read other minds. Nothing I have ever experienced in life, in the Way or out, has led me to change my mind. Only God and you know your thoughts, unless you share them with someone else.

MRAP ... DWBH, who also had his interim year in NC at the same time, can attest that Donna Lombardi was the NC Limb Secretary in Greenville, NC from after the Rock of Ages 1974 until the following Rock. She was not in the state in late 1972.

Oh, no DWBH ... I never took any personal offense at what you posted. I was referring to when Twinky talked about me having "Waybrain" just because I framed my question based on what we were taught in TWI about cancer being caused by devil spirits ... which I have not believed for quite a while. I always understand where you are coming from, DWBH ... Love and peace to you, too.

Thank you for understanding, Rocky. Questioning was exactly what I was doing.

Interesting insights. Thanks.

I can understand why people might think cancer is caused by devil spirits, based on the fact that some people in TWI who had spiritual problems died from cancer, based on alcoholism, cigarette smoking, and other unhealthy behaviors. I have a bit of trouble believing that ALL cancer is caused by devil spirits. I know VPW and LCM taught that, but I am skeptical...any one got any insights on that? I know the "cancer has a life of its own" argument, but doesn't a virus have a life of its own? (Not a medical background here.) Not trying to provoke a doctrinal argument...just wanting to understand why folks believe that. I am not sure I do.

DWBH...I looked on Amazon and BORN AGAIN TO SERVE is for sale for about $65. Methinks you do not care to read it THAT much .. DogLover...particularly Labradors